Fatal gang rape of a young woman in a bus in New Delhi in December set off nationwide protests about India’s treatment of women. Photograph: B Mathur/REUTERS

Police have launched a manhunt for men suspected of the rape and killing of three sisters, aged five to 11, in the latest case of sexual violence to grip India.

Police officer Javed Ahmed said the sisters' bodies were found in a village well in Maharashtra state on 14 February after they had gone missing from school. The area is more than 630 miles south of New Delhi, the capital.

Enraged villagers blocked a national highway passing through the area for several hours on Wednesday demanding justice.

The fatal gang rape of a young woman in a moving bus in New Delhi on 16 December set off nationwide protests about India's treatment of women. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges.